Medieval Medicine Flashcards
What were the four liquids of the four humours?
Blood , phlegm, yellow bile , black bile
Main difference between Islamic and European medicine?
Islamic medicine looked at the cause of the issue and tried to treat it practically
Western medicine would remove the issue all together without treating the cause
Short term Significance of Hippocrates
- first person to think about the body as a whole
- came up with the four humours which was a big advancement in medicine
- introduce new ideas which kept medicine advancing
Long term significance of Hippocrates
- influenced other medical influencers such as Galen
- Hippocrates was the starting point to medical advancements
Hippocrates significance today
- diet and rest are still used for diagnostics
- Hippocratic oath taken by modern doctors
- “Father of medicine”
- believed in the importance of observation
Significance of Galen
- took Hippocrates ideas further
- practised dissection of animals
- emphasised the importance of listening to pulses
- ideas profoundly influenced western medicine
- beliefs stemmed from Islamic texts
Significance of Arab medicine
- Muslim writers help save lost knowledge
- wrote influential texts and books
- treat the problem not solve it
Hippocrates alive :
460 - 370 BC
Galen alive:
130- 210 AD
Zodiac man:
Gives the doctor an idea about which part of the body needs to be treated depending on zodiac
Urine chart:
The doctor would look carefully at the colour of patients urine to decide what was wrong
Role of university trained doctors
- qualified / trained for seven years
- learnt from Hippocrates and Galen
- only for the rich
Role of barber surgeons
- common
- carried out small operations
- served apprenticeships to become qualified
- not too expensive
Role of local wise woman
- for poor people
- used herbal remedies
- used supernatural curses
- knowledge was past down
- reasonable price
Role of apothecary
- for ordinary people
- sold medicines and herbs
- served as an apprentice for 7 years
- sold medicines to doctors
How war impacted medicine
- helped to advance methods in surgery as men were getting injured on the battlefield
- antiseptic began to be used to treat wounds
- use of drugs such as opium were used to help patients
How science impacted medicine
- allowed people to challenge the church
- teachers at universities began to educate more people
How the church helped medicine
- founded hospitals
- used the ideas of Galen and Hippocrates
- set up university schools of medicine
How the church hindered medicine
- praying to god was the most important treatment
- encouraged the belief of miraculous healing
- difficult to challenge anything Galen wrote
- forbade the dissection of human corpses
- illness was a punishment from god so it was unnecessary to cure people
Who was albucasis
Muslim surgeon considered the “father of modern surgery”.
Invented 26 new surgical instruments
Described many new procedures
Made cauterisation popular
Why were medieval towns filthy
- lived so close together
- few regulations about waste disposal
- lack of clean water
- live animals brought in by butchers
- industries created smell and waste
How monasteries helped the filth in medieval towns
- knew the dangers of dirt
- carefully extracted water
- monks were skilled medically
What did Coventry do in 1421
The mayor announced that every Saturday people had to clean outside their own house
Every resident payed 3p per year for waste removal services to be sold to farms
Toilets over rivers were removed
Dung hills and waste pits were set up around the town
What year did the Black Death start
1348
What people believed were the causes of the Black Death:
- miasma
- four humours were out of balance in the victims
- god was punishing people
- Jews were poisoning the water
- earthquake in China cause miasma to spread across
How many people died from the Black Death
1/3 of the population
